Great Expectations Education Pack - English Touring Theatre

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Wemick: A clerk for Mr. Jaggers, at work Wemick appears to have no feelings. When Pip visits him at home however he is an entirely different person to whom Pip will go to for advice or companionship. Wemick takes care of his hearing impaired father, and in the end marries a woman, Miss Skiffins. His tiny house is his castle, and everything he has of value is "portable property." Abel Magwitch: A convict and Pip's benefactor, at different times in the story Magwitch is both villain and hero. After the loss of his daughter, Magwitch develops affection for the young boy who brings him food, brandy, and a file. Wanting the boy to be all he couldn't be, he devotes his life to making money and giving it to the boy to be a gentleman. Magwitch risks his life so he can see Pip, but his vengefulness shines through when he sees or talks of Compeyson. Bentley Drummle: Another student of Matthew Pocket’s, Drummle is a titled noble who is mistrustful and arrogant. Knowing that Pip has affection for her, Drummle courts Estella and taunts Pip with the knowledge. He later marries her but is an abusive husband. Orlick: Another of the villainous characters in the story, his jealousy of Pip dements him. Angry with Mrs. Joe for some offense that she committed, Orlick attacks her and tries to kill her. He later tries to kill Pip also but is thwarted. His diabolical mind and stupid demeanor makes for a perfect combination of evil stupidity that makes people not suspect him for his crimes.
Historical Context of the Original Text The Victorians For much of the last century the term Victorian, which literally describes things and events in the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), conveyed connotations of "prudish," "repressed," and "old fashioned." Although such associations have some basis in fact, they do not adequately indicate the nature of this complex, paradoxical age that was a second <strong>English</strong> Renaissance. Victorian England saw great expansion of wealth, power, and culture. Poor Law One of the most far-reaching pieces of legislation of the entire Nineteenth Century was the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act which abolished systems of poor relief that had existed since the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 . The new legislation established workhouses throughout England and Wales. It was extended to Ireland in 1838. Legislation for Scotland did not appear until 1845. Prior to the PLAA, poor relief took several forms based on the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601: outdoor relief was one type of relief where people would be given a 'dole' of money and remain in their own homes. The aged, infirm and sick were looked after either in almshouses, hospitals, poor houses or in their own homes. Orphans were looked after in orphanages. However, by the 1830s, many poor houses were vile and insanitary establishments; the sick were not nursed, children were not educated and paupers could starve to death in them. There was no single system of relief and no centralisation. However, all relief was based on the parish, the smallest unit of local government as well as the smallest ecclesiastical division. Some parishes were more generous than others in the amounts of relief they gave. The advantage of a parish based system was that 'everyone knew everyone else' and it was in the interests of all that the poor were looked after. The disadvantage was that the poor rates were borne by the same people who paid all other types of rates and from the outbreak of the French Wars (1793), poor rates tended to increase. Until around the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, poverty was accepted as a fact of life: at some point, most of the lower orders would suffer from poverty and would need help. Crime Due to poverty and under resourced policing, crime was rife in Victorian England. The following extract from The Victorian Web, outlines the types of crimes that were committed on an ongoing basis. The punishments for these crimes were usually severe, exportation to Australia and the death sentence among them. Additionally, people who found themselves in debt were sent to debtors prisons (Dickens’ father among them). Leaving aside drunkenness, theft was rampant. While children might pickpocket and steal from barrows on the streets, women might engage in shoplifting, and, as for London's sly con men, cheats, "magsmen" or "sharpers," they were notorious. So were the
Page 1 and 2: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dicke
Page 3 and 4: Tanika Gupta Biography Tanika Gupta
Page 5 and 6: Great Expectations by Charles Dicke
Page 7 and 8: is pursued both by the police and b
Page 9 and 10: Love and Loyalty Great Expectations
Page 11: Characters Pip: The main character
Page 15 and 16: Meet...Tariq Jordan who plays Pip 1
Page 17 and 18: 6. How much does budget affect your
Page 19 and 20: Casting Appropriateness, character
Page 21: Further Reading and Contacts Great

Great Expectations Education Pack - English Touring Theatre

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